China and the European Union enjoy increasingly strong economic and commercial ties, solidified by a landmark year in 2015. Xi Jinping met with top leaders from the UK, France, and Germany to expand economic cooperation.

In this podcast with Paul Haenle, EU Chamber of Commerce President Joerg Wuttke discusses what he thinks the EU can expect in the coming years regarding its economic presence in China.

Wuttke notes that the main story in EU-China relations in 2015 was not simply an increase in trade but rather a complete shift in investment flows, as China invested $22 billion in the European Union. He expects this level of Chinese investment into Europe to continue, but he reasons that European investment in China may slow due to lower growth rates and other constraints. Wuttke also comments on emerging international initiatives that China has put forward, such as the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road.

JOERG WUTTKE

Joerg Wuttke is the president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce. He has been vice president and chief representative of BASF China since 1997.

PAUL HAENLE

Paul Haenle is the director of the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. Prior to joining Carnegie, he served from June 2007 to June 2009 as the director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolian Affairs on the National Security Council staffs of former president George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.